Avatar, Avatar, Avatar - New Technology, Same Story

If you had not paid much attention to it before, you probably are starting to. James Cameron's film Avatar has "sunk" Titanic (Another film by Cameron) as it has become the highest grossing film ever made internationally. Was it really worth all the hype? Well for one thing, I suggest people see it at IMAX rather than just plain 3D in theaters. The graphics are amazing and you feel as though you are a part of the film as one of the characters. I think the film displays a message of how important it is to take care of Mother Earth, a somewhat 'tree hugger' story. Not to mention the importance of preserving animals and nature as a whole.

A question I must ask, is the story line all that new to us? Historically when it comes to film making, most of the time story lines have been ripped from other things (Whether the writer realizes it or not). In the case of Avatar, it is no different. For me, it was a cross between a native American love story, kind of like Pocahontas. Or as some referred to Dancing With the Wolves, which I have seen but cannot remember the story line much. However, what it was most compellingly similar to was FernGully: The Last Rainforest, a cartoon I loved as a child. Here's a smash up of the cartoon with Avatar character voices:



You can also read a film summary on FernGully, here. I also found an article comparing the Na'vi to a comic book character in the 1980s, here. I'm not trying to discourage people to watch the film, but just see the facts. I really enjoyed it and would not mind seeing it again.

Did you see the film and does it remind you of other story lines?